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First Reading: Genesis Chapter 9 and 10Genesis 9
9:1 God's Promise to Noah
So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them:"Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every
beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth,
and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving
thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as
the green herbs. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every
beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's
brother I will require the life of man.
6 "Whoever sheds man's blood,By man his blood shall be shed;For in the
image of GodHe made man. 7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply;Bring forth
abundantly in the earth And multiply in it."
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 "And as for
Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after
you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle,
and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every
beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall
all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be
a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said:"This is the sign of the covenant which I make between
Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant
between Me and the earth. 14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15 and I will remember My covenant
which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters
shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow shall
be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant
between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have
established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."
18 Noah and His Sons
Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And
Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from
these the whole earth was populated.
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank
of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the
father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers
outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders,
and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were
turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.
24 So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
25 Then he said:
"Cursed be Canaan;A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren."
26 And he said:
"Blessed be the LORD,The God of Shem,And may Canaan be his servant. 27
May God enlarge Japheth,And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;And may Canaan
be his servant."
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 So all the
days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.
Genesis 10
10:1 Nations Descended from Noah
(1 Chron 1:5-27)
Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons
were born to them after the flood.
2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan
were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastland peoples
of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language,
according to their families, into their nations.
6 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were
Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba
and Dedan.
8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty
hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter
before the LORD." 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech,
Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria
and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah
(that is the principal city).
13 Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 Pathrusim, and Casluhim
(from whom came the Philistines and Caphtorim).
15 Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; 16 the Jebusite, the Amorite,
and the Girgashite; 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18 the Arvadite,
the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were
dispersed. 19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward
Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim,
as far as Lasha. 20 These were the sons of Ham, according to their families,
according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
21 And children were born also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber,
the brother of Japheth the elder. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad,
Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arphaxad
begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of
one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name
was Joktan. 26 Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram,
Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these
were the sons of Joktan. 30 And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go
toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31 These were the sons of Shem, according
to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to
their nations.
32 These were the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations,
in their nations; and from these the nations were divided on the earth after
the flood.
Matthew 5
5:1 The Beatitudes
(Luke 6:20-26)
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated
His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,For they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the
meek,For they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness,For they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,For they
shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,For they shall be called sons of God. 10 Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,For theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds
of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
13 Believers Are Salt and Light
(Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34,35)
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall
it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled
underfoot by men.
14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot
be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
17 Christ Fulfills the Law
"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not
come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven
and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law
till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 Murder Begins in the Heart
(Luke 12:57-59)
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder,
and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' 22 But I say to you
that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of
the judgment. And whoever says to his brother,'Raca!' shall be in danger of
the council. But whoever says,'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. 23
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your
brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar,
and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer
your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with
him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to
the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you
will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
27 Adultery in the Heart
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit
adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her
has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes
you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for
you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into
hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from
you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than
for your whole body to be cast into hell.
31 Marriage Is Sacred and Binding
(Matt 19:9; Mark 10:11,12; Luke 16:18)
"Furthermore it has been said,'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give
her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his
wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery;
and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
33 Jesus Forbids Oaths
"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old,'You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you,
do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35 nor by the
earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the
great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one
hair white or black. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For
whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
38 Go the Second Mile
(Luke 6:29-31)
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth.' 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you
on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you
and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels
you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him
who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
43 Love Your Enemies
(Luke 6:27,28,32-36)
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and
persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes
His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on
the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do
not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only,
what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore
you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
GENESIS
Part 2 of 4
Genesis basically can be divided into two parts:
The first division records four outstanding events:EARLY HISTORY - Chapters 1 to 11
PATRIARCHAL HISTORY - Chapters 12 to 50
The Creation The Fall of Man The Flood The Confusing of Tongues (Tower of Babel)
Patriarchal history is concerned with four outstanding individuals:
Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph
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